The present disclosure generally relates to surface mounted kitchen cooktop units that can be mounted within an opening in a countertop. Such cooktop units are not attached to standalone appliances, but are inserted within an opening defined within the countertop surface. Such cooktop units are comprised of a surface of relatively thin dimension and of a housing of a relatively thick dimension. In order to support the cooktop unit, various mounting applications are typically disposed proximate the opening within the countertop in order to support the cooktop unit. FIG. 1 shows such an arrangement with the cooktop unit 100 mounted on a countertop 102 on a cabinet 104. The cooktop unit 100 is supported by brackets 106 that are secured to the cabinet 104.
Problems arise in the mounting and supporting of cooktop units in this manner. Typically, brackets are disposed and fastened along the inner edge of the opening in the countertop surface. One problem inherent to this design is with countertops that are a solid surface, including, but not limited to, natural stone, granite, marble, etc. Such dense materials resist conventional drilling of holes to which the brackets are attached. Grinding of the dense material to produce these holes is typically required and special hole-forming tools are needed. Further, the holes are placed into the relatively narrow face of the countertop opening and, as such, placed parallel to the top-most working surface of the countertop. Those holes and expanding fastener systems can act as stress concentration points that weaken or fracture the solid surface. Further, the natural formation of stone, granite, and marble materials leads these materials to be non-homogeneous in composition with veins of different material within the countertop slab(s). Although the appearance of non-homogeneous countertops is valued by customers, the relative differences in composition may cause a hole-forming tool to wander off the intended path for the fastener holes and lead to irregular, unaligned holes and/or lead to embedment of broken tools (such as drill bit tips) in the countertop. Even further, when a typical bracket requires the placement in multiple holes for attachment, there is an additional requirement that multiple holes be located a specified distance from each other. Those tolerances are difficult to achieve in such solid surfaces.
Problems also arise in alternate mounting and support designs that employ adhesive as adherent to affix one or more brackets disposed proximate the opening within the countertop. Environmental contaminants, such as ambient dust, countertop dust, oils, water, and/or finger oils can be present at the adhesive bond line surface, resulting in a sub-optimal and weak bond between bracket and countertop. Using adhesive on the face of the countertop opening's inner edge places the bond line of the adhesive into a shear force that arises from the weight load of the cooktop, cooking vessels, foods, and incidental contact. Adhesives do not resist shear forces well, especially over a long period of time.
Problems also arise in alternate mounting and support designs that employ a flanged bracket that is disposed proximate the opening and at the top-most corner of the opening. In these designs, a portion of the flange is positioned in contact with and parallel to the top surface of the countertop. The flange acts as a hanger structure to support the surface-mounted kitchen cooktop unit. However, a portion of the flange on the top surface of the countertop is visible unless the surface-mounted kitchen cooktop unit is designed to be installed as cover for the flange. The flange also precludes a manner of installation of the surface-mounted kitchen cooktop unit where the cooktop unit's top surface is completely flush to the countertop, which is greatly desired by high-end consumers.
Additionally, gaps that arise between structures—for example, a gap between underside of the countertop and the cabinet—represent an area that may allow localized bending movement of the countertop, and such bending of a natural stone, marble, and/or granite countertops may result in fracture of the countertop. In effect, none of the mounting applications above redirects or reduces the portion of the weight load impinging on the countertop.
When the cooktop unit has a planar surface and multiple brackets are disposed proximate the opening within the countertop in order to support the cooktop unit, care must be taken to ensure that the cooktop unit is level. When the number of supporting brackets exceeds three in number, the brackets do not contribute to a three-point definition of a plane, and the excessive brackets may cause the cooktop unit to be installed in a warped and out-of-plane condition. The inclusion of screw height adjustment mechanisms in the brackets presents a multiple-point adjustment challenge to an installer by requiring a plurality of adjustments to achieve a plane, and this adjustment is typically required to be performed from the underside of the cooktop unit after the cooktop unit is placed into the opening within the countertop.
When multiple cooktop units are in a side-by-side configuration, there is a line of contact between defined by edges of adjacent cooktop units. These edges are not supported by the above-described arrangements, and may result in misalignment of the edges of adjacent cooktop units. Thus, the need exists for a system for supporting cooktop unit(s) that results in proper alignment and proper support of the cooktop unit(s) in any type of countertop.